health | LocalGov

Charities call for action on ‘dangerous’ homes

22/04/2024

A coalition of charities has launched a campaign urging the Government to halve the number of homes blighted by mould, damp and other serious hazards.

Banning urban pesticide use

18/04/2024

RSPB and PAN are working on a letter from local councillors calling on the Government to introduce a national ban on urban pesticide use. Find out more below.

Council warns of dangerous autism ‘cure’ fraud

18/04/2024

Greenwich council has warned schools and nurseries to be on guard after learning of an individual offering ‘experimental procedures’ for autistic children.

ICSs enabling progress on dementia diagnosis, says think tank

18/04/2024

Integrated care systems (ICSs) are enabling the improvement of dementia diagnosis but more needs to be done, health experts say.

Defra withholds £6m of air quality funding

16/04/2024

Around £6m in funding promised to local authorities to help tackle air pollution will be withheld, a Defra spokesperson has confirmed.

Dashboard compares healthy life expectancy across councils

10/04/2024

A data tool to compare healthy life expectancy across all councils in England has been launched by The Health Foundation.

Councils see dramatic rise in bedbug call-outs

05/04/2024

Local authorities saw a surge in pest control call-outs for bedbugs last year with freedom of information requests revealing they increased by a quarter.

Public health directors call for better regulation of private rented sector

04/04/2024

Public health directors have welcomed measures aimed at improving social housing but called for more action to tackle poor conditions in the private sector.

Devolve NHS England's £168bn budget to local government, says report

02/04/2024

NHS England’s £168bn budget should be handed to local government in a radical restructure, the Reform think-tank has suggested in a report today.

Mental illness costs England £300bn a year

27/03/2024

The cost of mental ill health in England was £300bn in 2022, according to new research.

Council chiefs call for powers to tackle rogue shisha bars

25/03/2024

Local authority leaders have called for more powers to crack down on rogue shisha bars.

Record 4.3m children in poverty

22/03/2024

More than 4m children are living in poverty, with an additional 100,000 children being pushed into hardship over the last year, Government figures reveal.

PAC: Government has ‘no roadmap’ for fixing social care

20/03/2024

The Government has ‘no roadmap’ for fixing the failing social care system and ‘nothing meaningful’ in place that might demonstrate progress, MPs warn.

Council leaders welcome anti-smoking Bill

20/03/2024

Local authority leaders have welcomed the prospect of new powers to discourage smoking.

Housing Ombudsman awards residents £40k

14/03/2024

Residents left in dire damp and mould conditions by Lewisham Council have been awarded tens of thousands of pounds.

Adult social care requests hit record high

13/03/2024

The number of new requests for adult social care support have hit an unprecedented two million, a health and social care charity has revealed.

Council chiefs call for menthol crack down support

13/03/2024

Local authority leaders have urged the Government to do more to help trading standards teams crack down on the use of menthol cigarettes.

City Hall hails ‘dramatic’ air quality improvements

12/03/2024

Air quality in the capital has improved ‘much faster’ than in the rest of the UK because of policies introduced by the London mayor, according to a report.

‘Outdated’ pollution warning systems putting swimmers at risk

29/02/2024

Swimmers could be at risk of bathing in sewage due to an ‘outdated’ pollution warning system, researchers at the University of Reading have warned.

UK’s first healthcare air quality alert launched

28/02/2024

Healthcare professionals in London will be notified directly about high pollution episodes, London mayor Sadiq Khan has announced.

Sewage pipe failures prompts vote of no confidence

26/02/2024

East Devon District Council has passed a vote of no confidence in a water company after major pipe failures and sewage overflows into the sea.

Birmingham failed residents over damp and mould, ombudsman finds

22/02/2024

The Housing Ombudsman has found six cases of severe maladministration in Birmingham City Council’s handling of issues reported by tenants.

Coastal councils raise water quality alarm

22/02/2024

Councils in coastal areas have raised the alarm about the impact on health and tourism caused by the continuing deterioration in coastal water quality.

Vape industry proposes alcohol-style licensing scheme

21/02/2024

A first-of-its kind licensing framework for the UK vape industry is being put forward in Parliament today.

Lewes becomes first council to support ‘Zane’s Law’

21/02/2024

Lewes District Council has become the first local authority to support a proposed new law that calls for greater protection from contaminated land.

Putting personal assistants at the heart of care

19/02/2024

Ben Weatherall, co-founder and director of Curam, discusses the skills deficit in the social care system and what to do about it.

Sheffield to invest £1m CAZ funds to improve air quality

15/02/2024

An estimated £1m raised through Sheffield’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ) will be used to improve air quality near schools, the city council says.

Only one in 20 illegal vape sellers fined

13/02/2024

Illegal vapes were seized from nearly 3,000 unscrupulous sellers last year, but only one in 20 were issued fines, new FOI requests have revealed.

Drug-related deaths up by 80%

09/02/2024

Financial uncertainty is undermining local efforts to battle drug addiction, council chiefs warn as report finds drug-related deaths are up 80% over a decade.

Council chiefs call for oral health investment

08/02/2024

Council leaders have called for investment in oral health after research found that last year there were 33,000 operations to remove rotten teeth in children.

Council leader reveals cancer diagnosis live on radio

07/02/2024

The leader of Braintree District Council has revealed on a live radio broadcast that he has been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer.

Council order to pay over £18k after severe maladministration findings

01/02/2024

Waltham Forest Council has been ordered to pay £18,800 in compensation after failings were discovered in three different housing cases.

Health boost for Housing First residents, research finds

01/02/2024

Housing First – under which homeless people are guaranteed a home while they access support – reduces demand on health and social care services, study finds.

Local approach needed to prepare for ‘silent killer’ of heatwaves

31/01/2024

MPs have called for a locally led approach to retrofitting houses to protect the most vulnerable from heat waves.

Disposable vapes to be banned

29/01/2024

Disposable vapes will be banned in the UK to protect children’s health, the Government announced today.

UK’s first regular drug checking service launched in Bristol

29/01/2024

The first regular drug checking service in the UK has been launched this month in central Bristol.

Government faces legal action over air pollution death

26/01/2024

The mother of a girl whose death was linked to poor air quality is bringing a High Court claim against the Government.

Council set to halve sick pay

26/01/2024

Southend Council is planning to halve the amount of sick pay given to staff in a move Unison has described as ‘callous’.

Brighton U-turns on pesticide use

25/01/2024

The use of a controversial pesticide will be reintroduced by Brighton and Hove City Council less than five years after it pledged to become ‘pesticide free’.

Fitness instructors flex muscles in pay dispute

25/01/2024

Council-employed yoga, aerobics and Pilates instructors in Colchester are voting on strike action after nearly a decade without a pay rise, says Unison.

Half of young vapers never regularly smoked, study finds

24/01/2024

A new study has found that 316,000 young people who use disposable vapes never regularly smoked tobacco, but warns that banning the vape products would risk causing relapse among ex-smokers.

Measles outbreak prompts MMR vaccine call

23/01/2024

Local authority leaders have issued an urgent call to parents asking them to ensure that their children have had both doses of the MMR vaccine.

Ombudsman calls for Royal Commission for social housing

23/01/2024

The Housing Ombudsman has called for the establishment of a Royal Commission to deliver a long-term plan for social housing that tackles social injustices.

Housing crisis forcing poorer older renters to move

22/01/2024

Older renters living on low incomes are being forced to move to more deprived areas with fewer services due to the housing crisis, new research suggests.

Sexual health services ‘at breaking point’

22/01/2024

Rising cases of sexually transmitted infections and decreasing levels of funding are pushing sexual health services to ‘breaking point’, according to the Local Government Association.

Council ‘diligent’ in checking for mould before tenant’s death

22/01/2024

Mansfield District Council insists it was ‘diligent in carrying out appropriate works’ on Jane Bennett’s house before she died of lung disease last month.

‘Bad health blackspots’ hold back growth

19/01/2024

Stark health inequalities are holding back economic growth, new research has found.

Stoke-on-Trent council plans to stop ‘sledgehammer’ CAZ

18/01/2024

A team from Stoke-on-Trent City Council is working on a plan to stop a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) being implemented in the city.

5,000 winter deaths caused by cold, damp homes

18/01/2024

Cold, damp homes caused an estimated 4,950 excess winter deaths in 2022-23, according to the End Fuel Poverty Coalition.

Care providers closing due to ‘perilous’ environment

16/01/2024

Social care services are facing a situation that is ‘more perilous than ever’ with 43% of providers closing services or handing back contracts, study reveals.

2024: an epochal year of change and transition

12/01/2024

Jonathan Werran, chief executive, Localis looks at what is coming down the tracks for local government in the year ahead.

Social care career reforms ‘only scratch the surface’

10/01/2024

The Government today announced new measures to improve the career prospects of social care staff but concerns remain that this ‘may only scratch the surface’.

MPs to debate free school meals extension

10/01/2024

MPs are set to debate the extension of the free school meals scheme today as tens of thousands of eligible disabled children miss out on extra support.

Leveraging tech to tackle black mould

09/01/2024

Deborah Matthews, MRI Software, looks at how arming onsite teams with the right tech can empower social housing providers to be proactive on black mould.

A million lives ‘cut short’ by inequality

08/01/2024

A million people in England had their lives cut short because of health inequality between 2011 and 2019, research has found.

Groundbreaking LGBTQ+ housing proposed for Manchester

04/01/2024

A pioneering LGBTQ+ extra care housing development has been proposed for the site of a former hospital in Manchester.

EVs only ‘part of the solution’, public health directors warn

03/01/2024

Directors of public health have welcomed the Government’s zero emission vehicle mandate but warned electric vehicles are ‘just part of the solution’.

Think-tank calls for ‘sensible adjustments’ to clean air zones

22/12/2023

Schemes to reduce air pollution should be designed to avoid penalising those living in more deprived areas, a think-tank has said.

Health chiefs back call for more gambling restrictions

21/12/2023

Local health chiefs have backed a call from MPs urging the Government to do more to minimise children’s exposure to gambling advertising.

End-of-life care issues ‘still far too common’

21/12/2023

Issues faced by people receiving end-of-life care 70 years ago, including poverty and isolation, are ‘still far too common’, according to a new report.

Barge death concerns

18/12/2023

Concerns over conditions inside some asylum accommodation intensified last week, after the death of an asylum seeker onboard the Bibby Stockholm barge.

Gov’s migration plans threaten ‘recruitment crisis’

13/12/2023

Hundreds of thousands of non-UK nationals working in London’s health and social care sector are likely to be hit by the Government’s new migration policies, Mayor Sadiq Khan has warned.

Special investigation launched into Camden and Hackney

12/12/2023

A special investigation has been launched into Camden and Hackney councils after the Housing Ombudsman found they were struggling to tackle damp and mould.

‘Astounding’ regional inequality in cancer deaths

12/12/2023

The risk of dying from the cancers with the highest mortality rates varies ‘massively’ across England, according to a study published in The Lancet Oncology.

Report uncovers ‘alarming’ undiagnosed dementia rates

06/12/2023

A commission has said integrated care systems must drive ‘radical change’ after finding that almost two in five dementia sufferers in England are undiagnosed.

Oxfordshire councils install vape recycling bins

04/12/2023

Three local authorities in Oxfordshire have joined forces to install 60 new recycling collection points for vapes across the county.

The importance of targeted investment in communities

04/12/2023

Lisa Dodd-Mayne, Sport England, discusses how targeted investment is helping people to get active, and how the strategy can be replicated locally.

CQC issues verdicts in pilot care assessments

21/11/2023

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has completed assessments of adult social care at five councils under its pilot scheme.

Nearly 460k unemployed due to unhealthy lifestyle

21/11/2023

Nearly 460,000 people in the UK are unemployed due to the health impact of tobacco, alcohol, and obesity, costing the economy £31.1bn.

Investment in local care services could save £2.5bn

20/11/2023

Investment in home-based care, community and reablement services would help free up more hospital beds and improve care for the elderly, council leaders say.

Social care leaders forced to find millions in extra savings

16/11/2023

Council social care leaders are having to find millions of pounds of extra savings this year despite winter pressures approaching, a new survey has revealed.

Council failure left ambulance unable to reach resident

15/11/2023

Stevenage Borough Council’s failure to fix a disabled resident’s door entry system left the ambulance service unable to attend to him, a watchdog has found.

New health and social care secretary announced

13/11/2023

Victoria Atkins has been appointed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care amid Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s cabinet reshuffle.

Places must adapt for ageing population, says Whitty

13/11/2023

Places and infrastructure must be adapted to support an ageing population, particularly in rural areas, according to England's chief medical officer.

LGA calls for Healthy Start uplift

13/11/2023

The value of the Healthy Start scheme should be increased by 20% to compensate for food inflation, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said.

Barriers to support impacting carers’ mental health

02/11/2023

Unpaid carers are not receiving adequate support from statutory services and their mental health is suffering as a result, Carers UK has found.

Let’s talk about incontinence: how effective procurement can benefit us all

01/11/2023

Tracy Evans, clinical team leader for the continence service at Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, discusses the benefits of effectively procuring incontinence products.

New pilot to monitor care home infections

31/10/2023

A national surveillance study initially set up in response to Covid-19 has received government funding for a pilot scheme to monitor infections in care homes.

Council chiefs call for workforce plan after ‘unfair care’ warning

20/10/2023

Council leaders have repeated their call for a dedicated social care workforce plan in response to a CQC warning that councils are struggling to meet demand.

Health outcomes ‘largely absent’ from housing guidance

19/10/2023

Health outcomes are ‘largely absent’ when it comes to local government guidance on housing supply and transport policies, new research has revealed.

Extra cash for Welsh social care in emergency spending revisions

17/10/2023

Council budgets will remain largely unchanged, but there should be more cash for social services, following the Welsh Government’s emergency public spending revisions.

Almost 400,000 carers leave workforce

12/10/2023

A new report offers an insight into the care sector’s struggle to retain staff after almost 400,000 carers left their jobs in a year.

Thousand pools shut since 2010

05/10/2023

More than 1,000 publicly accessible pools have closed since 2010, England’s governing body for swimming has found.

Care workers in Wales feel undervalued, poll reveals

05/10/2023

Social care workers in Wales feel undervalued by the public and underpaid for the work they do, a new survey has revealed.

Questions raised over enforcement of smoking ban

04/10/2023

Council chiefs have welcomed the PM’s ambition to eliminate smoking but have called for ‘clarity’ on how restrictions on cigarette sales will be enforced.

Affordable housing investment could save £1.5bn a year

04/10/2023

Investing much more in social and affordable housing could save the Government an estimated £1.5bn a year, researchers at University College London estimate.

Council accused of menopause ‘discrimination’

02/10/2023

Employment tribunal will today begin the first case in Britain where a worker will argue that menopause symptoms amount to a disability under the Equality Act.

Public support more focus on poor health causes

02/10/2023

The Government should invest more in public health to address the roots of poor health, according to a poll for the charity Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH).

Bradford claims success from watered-down CAZ

29/09/2023

Bradford Council has celebrated questionable success in its struggle to demonstrate compliance with the legal limit for toxic air pollution.

Newcastle clean air zone brings in £500k

27/09/2023

Newcastle City Council’s clean air zone (CAZ) has brought in over £500,000 in the first six months of its operation, new figures from the council reveal.

Yorkshire to host ‘internationally renowned’ triathlon

20/09/2023

The Long Course Weekend will take place in North Yorkshire next year, marking the first time the multi-sport event has been staged in England.

Providers set out ‘pragmatic’ social care plan

19/09/2023

A plan for adult social care with recommendations for the next Government has been put forward by Care England.

£10m extra for most under pressure councils

19/09/2023

The Government has provided an extra £10m for social care for those councils most under pressure as winter approaches.

Care sector ‘stifling’ the economy, report says

18/09/2023

Properly funded social care would power growth and unlock jobs, according to a report published today.

Scam warning amid digital switchover

18/09/2023

Criminals are exploiting the analogue to digital switchover to scam users of health care telephony devices into giving personal information, councils warn.

Glasgow to pilot drug consumption facility

15/09/2023

A safe drug consumption facility is set to be trialled in Glasgow after the lord advocate said she did not believe it would be in the public interest to prosecute users of drug consumption rooms for simple possession offences.

£40m winter boost for social care

14/09/2023

The Government has announced £40m to improve social care capacity with an aim to relieve pressure on hospitals over the winter.

Council chiefs welcome reports of disposable vape ban

13/09/2023

Local authority leaders have welcomed reports that the Government is planning to ban disposable vapes.

London councillors call for smokefree pavement seating

12/09/2023

Councillors have written to the Government to call for the introduction of a national smokefree condition for pavement seating outside pubs and restaurants.

Council apologises after man with dementia left unsupported

08/09/2023

Calderdale Council has apologised after a man with a rapidly progressing form of dementia was left in unsuitable hotel accommodation for too long.

Banning urban pesticide use image

Banning urban pesticide use

RSPB and PAN are working on a letter from local councillors calling on the Government to introduce a national ban on urban pesticide use. Find out more below.
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